


Sanskrit names of Suwarnadwīpa ('Island of Gold') and Suwarnabhūmi ('Land of Gold'), because of the gold deposits in the island's Sumatra was known in ancient times by the

Many species are nowĭeforestation on the island has also resulted in serious seasonal smoke haze over neighbouring countries, such as theĢ013 Southeast Asian haze which caused considerable tensions between Indonesia and affected countries Sumatra has a wide range of plant and animal species but has lost almost 50% of its tropical rainforest in the last 35 years. Tropical rain forest once dominated the landscape. TheĮquator crosses the island at its centre in Mangrove forest and complex river systems. The northern tip of Sumatra is near theĪndaman Islands, while off the southeastern coast lie the islands of Bangka and Belitung,īukit Barisan mountains, which contain several active volcanoes, form the backbone of the island, while the northeastern area contains large plains and lowlands with swamps, Krakatoa Archipelago, separates Sumatra from Malay Peninsula, which is an extension of theĮurasian continent. Strait of Malacca separates the island from the Indian Ocean borders the northwest, west, and southwest coasts of Sumatra, with the island chain ofĮnggano off the western coast. Sumatra is an elongated landmass spanning a diagonal northwest–southeast axis. 2), including adjacent islands such as the It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the
